Yonkers, NY – Today, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16) issued the following statement following the shooting of a Yonkers police officer. 

“I am sending love, prayers and well wishes to the friends and family of officer Brian Menton, who was shot yesterday in the line of duty while fighting to keep guns off our streets,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16). “I pray for officer Menton’s full recovery.

We must take absolutely every measure to get guns off of our streets immediately. Gun violence continues to terrorize our communities in Yonkers, terrorize the entirety of New York’s 16th Congressional District, and terrorize the entire country. Gun trafficking and the record number of guns made available on our streets have created an epidemic, causing more members of law enforcement and civilians to get hurt or killed on a consistent basis. We must do more at the federal level to pass common sense gun reform like H.R. 8 in the Senate. We also must do more at every level of government while including community violence interrupters to properly and effectively address the social determinants of violence. This is a complex problem that requires a multifaceted approach. Those who commit violence must be held accountable, and we have to do more to stop the violence from happening in the first place. Lives depend on us. 

President Biden took a great first step in issuing an executive order to ban ghost guns, but we can do more. Guns are hurting and killing children, civilians and officers - it’s on all of us to put an end to gun violence once and for all. We are in this together.” 

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